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Foot Locker is once again considering putting itself up for sale, following the disappointing performance at its U.S. shoe stores and the failure to buy rival Genesco, The Post has learned.

The athletic footwear retailer has turned to Lehman Brothers to advise it on a potential sale, sources said. They cautioned that any discussions are in preliminary stages. Financial books and other materials that typically signal a sale process is underway have not been sent to prospective suitors, one source said.

Private-equity firms are sniffing around the retailer, including Apollo Management, which is said to be considering an offer of $29 a share, sources said. Michael Ashley, the billionaire behind U.K. retailer Sports World International, has also expressed an interest in Foot Locker, these people said.

Apollo and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. had looked at acquiring Foot Locker roughly a year ago, but a deal was never reached. At that time, Foot Locker was said to be unwilling to accept a buyout of less than $30 a share, more than the private-equity firms had offered.

But much has changed in the past year, leading observers to suggest that Foot Locker Chief Executive Matthew Serra might be more flexible on price. A Foot Locker spokesman declined to comment. Foot Locker shares are down 24 percent from year-ago levels. It closed down 28 cents yesterday to $20.91 in NYSE trading.

Though Foot Locker’s European business has improved, sales at U.S. stores open at least a year fell 5.1 percent in the first quarter.

Foot Locker’s attempts to diversify have so far fallen flat. Sources said that overtures to the Brown Shoe Co. were rebuffed. An attempt to buy Genesco fell through when the company accepted a competing offer from Finish Line.

Foot Locker also launched Foot Quarters, a chain that sells athletic and casual shoes to the whole family, but its performance has been uneven. suzanne.kapner@nypost.com